COUNTDOWN 3: Ricco, the Don Juan who stole the women – and the prize

This Angolan flame knew he was hot, and thus his strategy was to utilise it properly, which eventually earned him the grand prize of $100, 000 for the third season of Big Brother Africa (BBA) in 2008.

Some might say his winning had everything to do with his looks and his ability to be a smooth talker while others would argue the fact that he came from Angola, land of Tatiana Durao, the girl who pulled at a few heartstrings the season before Ricco’s when she fell for the wrong man and got burnt for it while her partner in crime was rewarded in typical ‘African style’.

Ricardo (Ricco) Venancio is the 21-year-old who represented Angola at BBA 3. He was declared winner on November 23 after a close vote result between him and Hazel.

His stay in the house couldn’t have gone better than he asked for. His moves from one female housemate to the other were so suave Africans loved the entertainment and toss of emotions about the place.

Ricco initially found himself attracted to Tanzanian housemate, Latoya. Towards the end of his stay, he found himself yet again attracted to Botswanan housemate, Tawana, so much so that a night of drinking might or might not have led the two to become closer as they engaged in steamy sexual activity.

During his stay in the house, Ricco also became close friends with Mimi and Lucille. He became more popular than the other guys, thereby making him an object of envy in the house as he was in the eyesight of most of the women.

Having his hands full was not enough for the Angolan lad. When asked during the final diary session what he missed most having been in the house for three months, his answer was “babes”.

When he was pronounced winner at the final stage, he was told to come out of the house and on coming out he rushed for his first flame, Latoya, and hugged her even before waving at his family or accepting his monetary prize.

Ricco also seemed to be attracted to his friend’s women. While he formed a close relationship with Zimbabwean Munya, he went ahead to frolic with Tawana knowing that Munya had her first.

Luckily, that didn’t result to a fight, but there were arguments about whether it was Munya who would leave Tawana for Ricco or it would be the other way round. Then, back in Finland, he managed to at least get a kiss from Cheryll, the Finnish housemate who found Munya a nice a guy to be around with right from the moment he entered the house. Unfortunately during her eviction night, Cheryll had Munya giving her a shoulder to lean on.

Nothing new has been heard of this hunk since the 2008 victory, but he went ahead to appear in another Big Brother show. Ricco participated in Season 9 of Big Brother Brazil as a special guest. He stayed in the house for four days, although it was reported that his stay in Brazil was dedicated to studying when he wasn’t in the house.

While in Big Brother Brazil, there was a party named Angola, during which he presented to Brazilian people, music, clothing and typical foods from Angola. Angolan DJ Falcão played some of Angola’s main hits, with rhythms like semba and kuduro for the participants while Paula Marisa, Angolan cook, showcased different kinds of African delicacies.